Exemplary embodiments herein generally relate to a vehicle sliding door opening and closing mechanism for opening or closing a door associated with an opening of a vehicle body in a front-to-rear direction. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to a link-type sliding door mechanism for opening and closing a door having an improved kinematic movement path.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a known sliding door opening and closing mechanism 100 for a vehicle includes lower and upper fixed arms 102,104 with a single pivot and a middle link 106. The middle link 106 can be operatively connected to a drive mechanism (not shown) for opening and closing a vehicle door 120. The vehicle door 120 can also be actuated manually through pulling on the door handle to open or close the door. Each of the lower and upper fixed arms 102,104 and the middle link 106 have a distal portion connected to the door 120 and a proximal portion operatively associated with respective lower, upper and middle guide tracks or rails 110,112,114 for slidably moving the vehicle door 120. Each guide track is attached to a vehicle side body structure 116 and extends in a front-to-rear direction of the side body structure. Generally, the lower guide rail 110 includes a rearward portion 124 and a forward portion 126, which is incorporated into the side body structure 116. Similarly, the upper guide rail 112 includes a rearward portion 128 and a forward portion 130. To open the door 120, the drive mechanism is actuated causing the middle link 106 to translate along the side body structure 116 via the middle guide rail 114. Movement of the middle link 106 causes the lower and upper fixed arms 102,104 to move along the lower and upper guide rails 110,112. The slide door is projected in a vehicle exterior direction along the curved portion 126 of the lower guide rail 110, and then the door is slidably moved to a fully opened position. In the fully opened position, a lower portion of the door is canted outwardly away from the side body structure 116. Conversely, to close the slide door 120, the door is moved toward the forward portion 126 along the rearward portion 124 of the lower guide rail 110, and then the door is pulled inward in a vehicle interior direction along the forward portion 126. This known opening and closing mechanism 100 achieves a lateral shift to the door position based on the lower and upper guide rails 124,126 that the lower and upper fixed arms 102,104 are guided by. As a result, due to the kinematic movement path of the door 120 (see FIG. 16), the vehicle body structure 116 is often compromised by the curved portion 126 of the lower guide rail 110 to accommodate the sliding door 120. The guide rail of this type disadvantageously influences the vehicle body structure. This compromised body structure can have open structural sections, rather than enclosed sections, and can suffer from poor continuity in the body structure where the opening and closing door mechanism 100 must be placed.